Machine for softening flexible material.



E. F. HODGKINS.

MACHINE FOR SOFTENING FLEXIBLE MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.2, 1917 1 9 1 Patented Aug. 281917.

yVl/ AZTUR w EDi/VARD :5. I-IGDGKINS, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS,

ASSIGNOR TO NAUMKEAG BUFFING MACHINE COMPANY, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS,A. CORPORATION OF MAINE.

MACHINE FOB SOFTENING FLEXIBLE MATERIAL.

Application filed January 2, 1917.

connection with a machine for softeningemery cloth. I s

.In the manufacture of boots and shoes it is common to buii or scour thebottoms of the outsoles' by means of an air-cushioned rubber tool havinga cover of emery cloth such, for example, as that shown in the patent toRogers No. 631,675; and it is desirable that the cover be flexibleenough to adapt itself readily to variations in the surface contour andirregularities in the surface of the sole. Emery cloth, however, as itcomes from the manufacturer is comparatively stiff, and after havingbeen made up into covers such as that shown in the patent does notreadily conform to such variations and irregularities.

The general object of the present invention is to provide mechanism forsoftening and thus rendering more flexible emery cloth or other sheetmaterial for any desired purposes of which,thiat"explained above willServe as an example.

One feature of the invention comprises a machine of the class describedhaving a softening tool provided with ribs thereon extending obliquelyto the axis thereof, and means for drawing sheet material about saidtool. In the illustrative machine the sheet is drawn about a roll havinga projecting helix thereon, said roll having a peripheral speed greaterthan that of the movement of the sheet material. There is thus formed inthe sheet at the locality engaged by the roll a series of waves whichare caused to travel across the sheet in a direction at an angle to thatof the bodily movement of said sheet. This bending of the sheet materialin two directions, one around the tool and one 1n Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented Au 28, 1917. Serial No. 140,096.

the direction of the waves, removes its stillness to a conslderabledegree.

It is desirable to be able to control the degree to which the sheetmaterial is softened, since a softer product is necessary in someinstancesthan in others. Another feature of the invention comprises in amachine having a softening tool and means for drawing sheet materialabout said tool the provision of means wherebythe area of contactbetween said material and tool may be varied. In the illustrativemachine the material is led from thetool over a guide roll which isadjustable, in such manner that.

the area of contact referred increased or diminished.

These and other features of the invention, including certain details ofconstruction and to above may be combinations of parts will be describedinconnection with an illustrative machine and pointed out in theappended claims. Referring now to the ELCcC mpanying draw- 1ngs,

Figure 1 is a perspective of a machinev in which the present inventionis embodied;

Fig. 2 is a detail partly in section showing the mechanism forcontrolling the tension of the sheet material; Fig. 3 is a detail,principally in section, showing the mechanism by which the blocksWhichsupport certain bearings areheld in adjusted position; Fig. 4 is anelevation, on an enlarged scale, of the softening tool shown in Fig. 1,an

Fig. 5 is an elevation showing a modified form in which twosoftening'tools are emploved.

The emery cloth or other sheet material 100 is wound from a frictioncontrolled idle reel 7 upon a power actuated reel 9, the

sheet in its travel passing over or under idle rolls 11 as well as abouta softening tool 13 and a guide member 15. The idle or unwinding reel 7comprises a wooden core into the ends of which are driven bearingmemnishes means for varying the tension exerted on the sheet materialduring the winding operation. The power actuated winding reel 9 isprovided with the usual slot to receive the end of the strip of emerycloth and may be rotated by any suitable mecha nism,.the ordinary backgearing of a lathe being shown driven by a belt 27 to draw the paperslowly in the directions indicated by the arrows.

In order to permit ready removal of these reels and rolls as well as topermit proper spacing of them, it is desirable that their bearingsshould be adjustable in two or more directions; and inasmuch as themounting of these hearings is identical, with a few slight variationswhich will be pointed out later, only one of them will be described indetail. The bearings are held between pivot screws 29 in yokes 31 thestems of which are held in adjusted vertical position in upright socketmembers 33 by screw bolts 35, said socket members being fast to orintegral with slides 37. The slides are mounted in guideways in blocks39 being held in adjusted position by plates 41 which in turn are helddown upon the slides 21 by screws 43. On their under sides the blockshave guideways to receive ribs 45 formed on the upper faces of slottedcrosspieces or supports 47 which rest upon legs 49. Depending fromtheblocks through the slots in the supports 47 are bolts 51 havingthreaded upon their lower ends hand wheels 53 the hubs of which bearagainst the under sides of plates 55 and thereby hold the blocks inadjusted position lengthwise of the supports 17. it will thus be clearthat the socket members 33 may be adjusted in the direction of the axesof their respective rolls to permit ready removal and replacement ofsaid rolls, as well as in a direction at right angles to said axes topermit proper spacing of said rolls; and that the yokes may be adjustedvertically after the screw bolts 35 have been loosened. The bearings ofall the rolls are substantially alike except that the bearing of theforward roll 11 is fastened directly upon one of the plates 41 and thatthe spindle 17 of the unwinding reel has square ends which are receivedin correspondingly shaped yokes to prevent said spindle from rotating.

The softening tool 13 is shown as a roll of small diameter having wouldthereon two helices 57 beginning at a point near the mid dle of saidroll and extending in opposite directions. As best shown in Fig. 4 itwill be seen that the pitch of these helices is con siderable, thedistance between the coils in the illustrative tool being greater thanthe diameter of said tool. The purpose of this construction is to permitthe emery cloth to be drawn down between the coils so as to form waveswhich, when the tool is rotated as will presently be described, travelrapidly from the middle portion to the edges of the sheet and therebyrender it more flexible. At each end of the tool 7 is a sleeve 59 heldin adjusted position by a set screw 61 and having cut in it a helicalgroove to receive the outer ends of the helices 57. It some timeshappens that the edges of the emery cloth receive too harsh a treatmentor get turned in and broken. In such case the sleeves are adjustedtoward the middle portion of the tool until they are in positions toextend a short distance under the edges of the sheet and thereby supportsaid edges. This softening tool or roll is mounted in bearings supportedpivotally by curved standards 63 which rest upon slides 37 exactly likethe slides which support the socket members 33. Fast to one end of thissoftening roll is a pulley 65 to which power is applied by the belt 67in the direction indicated by the arrow so that the periphery of saidroll where it engages the emery cloth travels in a direction opposite tothat of the travel of said cloth. And while the emery cloth travelsslowly, the softening roll rotates very fast so that the waves formed bydrawing the cloth tightly over the helices are caused to travel rapidlyin a direction transverse to the travel of the sheet.

ltis desirable to control the degree to which the softening of the emerycloth is carried. To this end the guide member 15,

herein shown as a roll of small diameter, is provided. 4 This member ismounted, like the idle rolls which support the emery cloth, and iscapable of adjustment in the same directions. It will thus be seen thatby loosening the appropriate hand wheels 53 the blocks 39 which supportthis guide roll or member 15 may be moved forward or backward on thesupports 47 to decrease or to increase the area of contact between theemery cloth and the softening roll and thereby to control the degree ofsoftening of said cloth.

In the operation of the machine a roll of emery cloth is mounted on thereel, 7. In practice the cloth comes wound upon a wooden core such asindicated at 7. The

bushings 207 are driven into this core and then slipped on the spindle17 and the spindle placed in its yokes; The tension device is thenapplied and tightened somewhat by turning the hand wheel 25. The end ofthe sheet of emery cloth is then attached to a assa-ea tion, and powerapplied to the belts 27 and 67. The emery cloth travels slowly in thedirections indicated by the arrows, and the gem. i g" cloth is softenedby being drawn over or about the softening tool 13. If the edges of thesheet are receiving too harsh treatment, the machine is stopped and thesleeves 59 moved into position to support said edges.

In Fig. 5 there is shown a modified form of softening device comprisingtwo tools 7 5, 77, one having a right-hand and the other a left-handhelix. When this form of softening device is used, the parts of themachine are the same as before except that the two tools 7 5, 77 aresubstituted for the single tool 13, and said tools are rotated by beltsapplied to the two pulleys 79, 81. With this device the waves are causedto travel first in one direction and then in the other across the sheet.WVhether the preferred or the modified device is used, the softeningtools are made by winding small. rods about the cylindrical cores toform the helices; and in the form shown in Fig. 4 the two ends of thehelices which meet are set into a tapered block 85 the forward edge ofwhich is substantially flush with the surface of the core so that thecloth will not be caught and torn.

Although the invention has been set forth in connection with aparticular machine, it should be understood that the invention is notlimited in the scope of its application to the particular machine shownand described.

The method of softening sheet material is not claimed herein but formsthe subjectmatter of my co-pending application Serial No. 140,095 filedJ an. 2, 1917.

Having thus described my invention, ,what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A machine of the class described, hav

ing, in combination, a softening tool comprising a member having thereonribs extendin obliquely with respect to the axis thereo and means fordrawing sheet material about said tool.

2. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, a softeningtool comprising a member having thereon ribs extendin obliquely withrespect to the axis thereo means for drawing sheet material about saidtool, and means whereby the area of contact between the tool and thematerial may be varied to control the degree of softenin of thematerial.

8. 3 machine of the class described, having, in combination, a softeningtool, means for drawing sheet material about said tool, and meanswhereby the area of contact between the tool and the material may bevaried to control the degree of softening of the material.

a. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, a softeningtool having a projecting helix thereon, and means for drawing sheetmaterial over said tool.

5. Aimachine of the class described, having, in combination, a softeningtool having a projecting helix thereon, means for rotating said tool,and means for drawing sheet material over said tool.

6. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, a softeningtool having a projecting helix thereon, means for drawing sheet materialover said tool, and means whereby the tension exerted upon the sheetmaterial by the drawing operation may be varied.

7. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, a softeningtool, means forrotating said tool, means for drawing sheet material oversaid tool, and means whereby the area of Contact betweenthe tool and thematerial may be varied to con trol the degree of softening of thematerial.-

8. A machine of the class described, hav ing, in combination, asoftening tool comprlsing a roll having a projecting helix thereon,means for drawing sheet material over said tool, and means whereby thearea of contact between the tool and the material may be varied tocontrol the degree of softhe area of contact of the sheet material withthe roll.

10. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, asoftening tool, means for rotating said tool, and means for drawingsheet material over said tool at a speed less than the peripheral speedof the ro tating tool.

11. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, asoftening tool, means for rotating said tool, means for drawing sheetmaterial over said tool at a speed less than the peripheral speed of therotating tool, and means whereby the area of contact between the tooland the material may be varied to control the degree of softening of thematerial.

12. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, asoftening tool comprising a roll having a projecting helix thereon, andmeans for drawing sheet material over said tool at a speed less L lianthe peripheral speed of the rotating tool.

13. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, asoftening tool commeans whereby the area of contact between the tool andthe material may be varied to control the degree of softening of thematerial.

14. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, a rollhaving a project ing helix thereon, sleeves at the ends of said rollthreaded to receive the ends of the helix the diameter ofthe sleevesbeing substantially equal to the diameter of thehelix, means forrotating said roll, and means for drawing a piece of sheet material oversaid roll with the edges of said material resting uponsaid sleeves.

15. A machine of the class described, hay-- 'ing, in combination, aroll, rods wound. helically around said roll beginning at approximatelythe middle of said roll and extending in right and left helices to theends thereof, means for rotating said roll, and means for drawing asheet of flexible material over said roll.

16. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, a roll,rods Wound helieally around said roll beginning at approximately themiddle of said roll and extending in right and left helices to the endsthereon, means for rotating said roll, means for drawing a sheet offlexible material over said roll, and means for varying the area ofcontact of the sheet material with the roll.

17. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, asoftening tool eomprising a roll having a projecting helix thereon,means for rotating said tool, and means for drawing sheet material aboutsaid tool with sufficient tension to cause the coils of the helix toform waves in the sheet material, the peripheral speed of the rotatingroll being greater than the movement of the sheet material.

18. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, asoftening tool comprising a roll having a projecting helix thereon,means for rotating said tool, means for drawing sheet material aboutsaid tool with suflicient tension to cause the coils of the helix toform waves in the sheet material, the peripheral speed of the rotatingroll being greater than the movement of the sheet material, and meanswhereby said tension may be varied.

19. A machine of the class described, hav ing, in combination, asoftening tool comprising a roll having projecting helices thereon ofopposite curvature, the distance between the coils of said helices beinggreater than the diameter of the roll, means for rotating said roll,means for drawing sheet material about said roll, and means for exertingsufiicient tension to pull the sheet material in between the coils ofthe helices to form Waves.

20. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, asoftening tool, means for drawing sheet material over said tool, a guidemember located adjacent said tool over which also said material isdrawn, and means whereby said member may be adjusted to vary the area ofcontact of said material With said tool.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

' EDWARD F. HODGKINS.

